There are many types of waterproof garments used in aquatic activities. An example is a waterproof sailing suit known as a dry suit. The sailor can wear thermal garments underneath the dry suit for warmth and comfort, and the dry suit features water-tight sealing sleeves (sometimes referred to simply as “seals” or “sleeves”) at the neck, wrist, and other openings to prevent the ingress of water. Full-body dry suits generally have a large waterproof zipper to allow for donning and doffing of the dry suit. Other waterproof garments commonly used in aquatic activities include smocks and jackets, which can also feature water-tight sealing sleeves at the neck and/or wrist to prevent the ingress of water.
The waterproof garments are commonly made from a waterproof laminated or coated textile joined by stitching and/or gluing. The seams are commonly made water-tight by the application of hot-melt adhesive tape. The textiles used to construct these waterproof garments generally have limited stretch and therefore are not capable of forming a water-tight seal around the body at openings in areas such as the wrists, neck, ankles, or other areas. It is commonly known in the art to provide water-tight sealing sleeves made from an elastomeric rubber material formed into a tubular cuff, with a narrower opening sealing around the wearer's body and a larger opening joined to the opening of the waterproof garment.
Water-tight sealing sleeves known in the art are made of an elastomeric rubber material that provides adequate elongation so that the sealing sleeve can be stretched over the head, hands, and/or ankles when donning and doffing the waterproof garment, and so that the sealing sleeve can fit securely around the neck, wrist, and/or ankle once in place to provide a substantially water-tight seal.
Known sealing sleeves are generally manufactured by a dipping process, whereby a form is dipped into a liquid rubber and allowed to set. The rubber material used in these sealing sleeves degrade over time due to exposure to ultraviolet light from the sun and/or ozone from pollution, and therefore need to be frequently replaced. While some products also provide a neoprene or other synthetic rubber material coating on the outer face of the sealing sleeve to provide improved protection from the degradation, it is still common for the sealing sleeve to degrade during the normal working life of the waterproof garment.
Another common issue with known rubber sealing sleeves is the poor tearing strength of the rubber, which causes the sealing sleeves to be easily damaged during use. Any minor scratch or puncture in the rubber creates a stress point in the material, and commonly leads to the propagation of a tear when the sealing sleeves are stretched. In cases where a user needs to cut the rubber sealing sleeve to increase its size, it is also common that the trimming process leaves the sealing sleeve even more susceptible to tearing due to increased stress points created by imperfect trimming. Importantly, it is common that when a rubber sealing sleeve is damaged due to tearing, it is not easily repairable as the tear propagates across the entire length and/or width of the rubber sealing sleeve.
Known rubber sealing sleeves are generally attached to a garment textile using a solvent-based adhesive. This is difficult to apply at a mass-production level, and makes the rubber sealing sleeves difficult to replace. U.S. Pat. No. 6,576,337 to Radford-Hancock discloses a rubber sealing sleeve having an additional surface coating of a thermoplastic polymer that allows the rubber sealing sleeve to be bonded with the waterproof garment textile via a hot-melt tape, thereby providing an easier method of attachment on a regular production line of waterproof garments.
It is also known in the art to provide sealing sleeves that include a neoprene foam and textile composite. While known neoprene sealing sleeves provide improved tearing resistance compared to known rubber sealing sleeves, they do not provide sufficient waterproofness for many applications, as they do not provide a sufficiently tight fit around the user's neck or wrist. Neoprene sealing sleeves also have a substantially greater thickness than conventional rubber sealing sleeves, making them bulky and too warm for aquatic activities. The use of neoprene can also cause irritation issues with many users.
In addition, neoprene sealing sleeves present similar difficulties to rubber sealing sleeves in mass-production, as they are generally attached to garments using a solvent-based adhesive, which is a time-consuming process.
Aspects of the present invention are directed at overcoming the above-described problems and providing an improved sealing sleeve for use in waterproof garments. Aspects of the present invention relate to an improved sealing sleeve that provides an adequate water-tight seal around the wearer's body, with improved durability and reparability, and that is easy to join to waterproof garments using common manufacturing techniques known in the art.